2021 Reading and Learning Goals

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oh, Goodreads! 
Let's be friends!

[seriousthistime]

Has anyone read Beartown, by Fredrik Backman?  i'm not a fan of sports, and the first 40% of the book is really focused on hockey but the characters fascinated me. And the first part moved fast enough that I could see light at the end of the tunnel because there was a lot of the book left after hockey.  And I was right.  There was a lot of excellent book left after that. 

Then I got the sequel, Us Against You.  Also excellent so far. I got halfway through before I had to turn my attention to my book group's selection for the month, and never got back to it.  I need to do that, but I'll have to start from the beginning.

Celeste Ng wrote two wonderful books, Everything I Never Told You, and Little Fires Everywhere. 

I just finished Vanishing Half for my book group, and am now reading something light.  Abbi Waxman's novels are fun and sometimes make me laugh out loud.  I need that sometimes.

My usual choice is fiction, but I read The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu.  It was amazing. 

My next read outside the book group will likely be American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.

I didn't set a reading goal for the year, but I could. Mine will be 20 books. I'm three books in so far. 

[azucena]

Yes, I've read those two by Backman.  I think he also wrote Anxious People that I liked too.  Very interesting writing and different from what I usually read.

[bean29]

Jan 3, 2021 18:20:20 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

Jan 3, 2021 17:33:37 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Becoming was my favorite read in 2019 - I hope you love it!  I'm reading A Promised Land now and it's long.  Really long. Interesting, but whoosh - starting my year with that is going to make me question if I'm going to hit my reading goal this year. I started it on my Kindle shortly before Christmas and I think I'm up to 40% now - and I go back to work tomorrow, so I will have even less time to read. That said, It's due back to the library soon, so I need to power through. And not turn on the wifi on my Kindle until I'm done so I don't lose it and have to wait on it to become available again. 

I do the same thing on my Kindle for library books! Over the holidays, I just couldn't finish a book in 14 days.

I have done this in the past, I have two Kindles and read from my phone in a pinch, but I noticed the last two times I did it, the book disappeared from my library before I was done.  Maybe the fact that I didn't finish it in a timely manner was the signal that I should just give up on the book.  

I read to escape - so I mostly read Romance Novels.  I am open to reading some POC material - so I will be watching for recommendations.  I very much enjoyed Michelle Obama's Becoming.  I did it as an Audible Selection.  Has anyone tried to listen to A Promised Land rather than read it?  I have 3 credits available in my Audible account.  I try to save them for stuff that are new releases.

I re-subscribed to Kindle Unlimited last month, and I discovered a new author Rosalind James.  Just finished her Tempting as Sin, and Guilty as Sin novels.  Enjoyed both.  I have Grace Burrowes the Last True Gentleman waiting for me, but I am sidetracked into one of her older novels The Duke's Disaster.

[steph08]

Feb 26, 2021 8:20:47 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Has anyone read Beartown, by Fredrik Backman?  i'm not a fan of sports, and the first 40% of the book is really focused on hockey but the characters fascinated me. And the first part moved fast enough that I could see light at the end of the tunnel because there was a lot of the book left after hockey.  And I was right.  There was a lot of excellent book left after that. 

Then I got the sequel, Us Against You.  Also excellent so far. I got halfway through before I had to turn my attention to my book group's selection for the month, and never got back to it.  I need to do that, but I'll have to start from the beginning.

Celeste Ng wrote two wonderful books, Everything I Never Told You, and Little Fires Everywhere. 

I just finished Vanishing Half for my book group, and am now reading something light.  Abbi Waxman's novels are fun and sometimes make me laugh out loud.  I need that sometimes.

My usual choice is fiction, but I read The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu.  It was amazing. 

My next read outside the book group will likely be American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins.

I didn't set a reading goal for the year, but I could. Mine will be 20 books. I'm three books in so far. 

I have read everything written by Fredrik Backman, even his novellas. I absolutely adore him and his writing. It really speaks to me. A Man Called Ove. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry. Britt-Marie Was Here. Anxious People. I'd do his remaining novels in that order.  

[azucena]

Feb 26, 2021 11:01:57 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Jan 3, 2021 18:20:20 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

I do the same thing on my Kindle for library books! Over the holidays, I just couldn't finish a book in 14 days.

I have done this in the past, I have two Kindles and read from my phone in a pinch, but I noticed the last two times I did it, the book disappeared from my library before I was done.  Maybe the fact that I didn't finish it in a timely manner was the signal that I should just give up on the book.  

I read to escape - so I mostly read Romance Novels.  I am open to reading some POC material - so I will be watching for recommendations.  I very much enjoyed Michelle Obama's Becoming.  I did it as an Audible Selection.  Has anyone tried to listen to A Promised Land rather than read it?  I have 3 credits available in my Audible account.  I try to save them for stuff that are new releases.

I re-subscribed to Kindle Unlimited last month, and I discovered a new author Rosalind James.  Just finished her Tempting as Sin, and Guilty as Sin novels.  Enjoyed both.  I have Grace Burrowes the Last True Gentleman waiting for me, but I am sidetracked into one of her older novels The Duke's Disaster.

I'm reading a promised land and it's not as daunting as it looks.  I skim thru some of the discussions that I'm not interested in, but most of it resonates with me.  It has to be 20 hours as an audiobook, right?

[bean29]

Feb 26, 2021 12:41:40 GMT -5 azucena said:

Feb 26, 2021 11:01:57 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I have done this in the past, I have two Kindles and read from my phone in a pinch, but I noticed the last two times I did it, the book disappeared from my library before I was done.  Maybe the fact that I didn't finish it in a timely manner was the signal that I should just give up on the book.  

I read to escape - so I mostly read Romance Novels.  I am open to reading some POC material - so I will be watching for recommendations.  I very much enjoyed Michelle Obama's Becoming.  I did it as an Audible Selection.  Has anyone tried to listen to A Promised Land rather than read it?  I have 3 credits available in my Audible account.  I try to save them for stuff that are new releases.

I re-subscribed to Kindle Unlimited last month, and I discovered a new author Rosalind James.  Just finished her Tempting as Sin, and Guilty as Sin novels.  Enjoyed both.  I have Grace Burrowes the Last True Gentleman waiting for me, but I am sidetracked into one of her older novels The Duke's Disaster.

I'm reading a promised land and it's not as daunting as it looks.  I skim thru some of the discussions that I'm not interested in, but most of it resonates with me.  It has to be 20 hours as an audiobook, right?

You made me look 29 hours and 10 minutes.  That would be a lot of drive time.  But if I tried to get it from the library-I would never finish before it was due...so I pulled the trigger and purchased it.  I will start it once I am done with my escapist Romance Novels.  

[tcu2003]

Feb 25, 2021 22:41:45 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Oh, Goodreads! 
Let's be friends!

Are you on there? If so, okay if I send you a message with my GoodReads link?

[tcu2003]

I'm 7 books in so far for 2021.  January was A Promised Land by Barack Obama, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (really enjoyed this one - highly recommend, and especially for anyone looking to read more by POC), Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, and Beach Read by Emily Henry.

February by The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews (not as good as her first memoir Home), and A Very Pinchable Face by Colin Jost (funny!).

I'm in the middle of a couple of others, so I should hopefully at least finish 2 books for March.

[startsmart]

I’m at 10 books completed for Jan and Feb and would love to get through another 6 this month. I have a nonfiction book on my Kindle and reading some children’s books for fiction.

[wvugurl26]

March is not going to be a good month for me to read. But I did go through my phone and list all those books I'd taken pictures of at Sam's Club, airports, and Target. I don't usually buy them because I could spend a fortune. But then I forget to request from the library.

I know there's Good Reads and I even have an account but I'm so tired of staring at screens. I printed out some pretty templates for various things including books to read. The list to buy/borrow is mostly complete. Next up is making a list of those books I already own and need to read.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Feb 28, 2021 23:10:51 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Feb 25, 2021 22:41:45 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Oh, Goodreads! 
Let's be friends!

Are you on there? If so, okay if I send you a message with my GoodReads link?

Yes!

[stillmovingforward]

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

I would like an interesting theological book. Not super heavy but interesting. I'm a die-hard agnostic but theology is interesting. 

[irishpad]

Mar 25, 2021 21:53:08 GMT -5 stillmovingforward said:

Jan 2, 2021 14:05:09 GMT -5 irishpad said:

I do a fair amount of reading for work, so when I do off hours reading I tend to do more light fiction and few theological books.  

My goals this year:

    Recreational reading: 

        Finish the William Kent Krueger series.  Murder / mystery series.   Setting is on the Iron Range of MN so familiar with the territory.   I'm on book 11 of 17 right now.  

        Start the series by C.J. Box.  Similar type of series.  Setting is in Wyoming.

Autobiographies:  Recently bought Becoming by Michelle Obama and A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

I would like an interesting theological book. Not super heavy but interesting. I'm a die-hard agnostic but theology is interesting. 

Sorry about the delay.  As my agnostic friend Tennesseer knows, I have been out of commission due to two seizures starting a week ago  


Here are two suggestions, same author.

Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J.   Works with those in gangs who are seeking to get out. Tattoos on the Heart and Barking at the Choir.   I listened to both on Audible first and then bought the books.  Use quotes often for homilies.   Also a documentary on Amazon Prime (between the two books) about him..   He connects how his people see God in the experiences of their lives   (Theo - logy, the study of God) is really how we may experience "God" in the midst of life.   These books are easy reads and very uplifting to everyone, no matter what their religious (or lack of) persuading is.  (Ok looking at my writing, now I know for sure why my English grammar was my lowest ACT score!   Got a 24 in that area, but comprehensive score was a 31.   So, in God's humor, he made me a priest where I have to write all the time rather then an Electrical Engineer like I WANTED)   

[Happy prose]

irishpad I hope you're ok! Did the figure out what caused it? 

[seriousthistime]

Mar 27, 2021 5:54:26 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

irishpad I hope you're ok! Did the figure out what caused it? 

  Scary about the seizures.  Take good care.

And those books sound really good.  I will check them out. 

[startsmart]

I’m at 26 books for the year, the majority of which are YA fiction series. I continued the Boxcar Children books and am in the 60s with another 20-30 to go. To break things up I started re-reading the Mandie series which mostly annoys me for the character’s ignorance but goes quickly.

I have a road trip coming up in May and would love your audio book suggestions! I’ve listened to Kurt Vonnegut and Maya Angelou but couldn’t get into Game of Thrones or James Bond books on audio.

[countrygirl2]

I like the end of the world, sci fi type books. Have read tons of them. Mostly the same story line, but I'm sucked into them. Just totally out there stuff. Taxes my mind off everything real.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

How'd this go for everyone?